Years of Potential Life Lost (YPLL)

The years of potential life lost (YPLL) calculation estimates the number of life years lost to premature deaths. Similar to life expectancy, YPLL is a good measure of the overall health of an area. Like most federal and state agencies, Missouri uses age 75 as the benchmark for YPLL calculations. Unlike many other health statistics, YPLL places additional emphasis on deaths of younger residents. For example, at an individual level, a 15 year old who dies in a traffic accident would receive a YPLL of 58.5 (75 - 16.5 = 58.5) since in MICA they would be assigned to the 15-17 age group. A 73-year-old person who dies of a heart attack would receive a YPLL of 2.5 (75 - 72.5). Any person who dies at age 75 or above is not considered to have died prematurely and would not be included in the YPLL calculations. The files available on this website provide YPLL totals and rates per 100,000 residents for Missouri, its 115 counties (114 counties plus the City of St. Louis, which is an independent city), Independence, Joplin, Kansas City, and Eastern Jackson County.

The YPLL statistics provided on this website were calculated using a revised methodology that reflects changes to the new MICA query screens related to age groups. Moreover, this method more accurately calculates Years of Potential Life Lost. This data is extracted using the Death MICA and the Population MICA as ofFebruary 1, 2017. While formulas and figures prior to this date were accurate given the output available on the old MICA, the new formulas allow for a more precise reporting of YPLL data consistent with the new MICA query database. These resources report aggregated totals rather than individual records. As a result, the YPLL totals and rates provided here will still differ somewhat from totals and rates generated from the use of individual records.